


Table for Four

by Writerleft



Series: Comes Marching Home [11]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon Compliant, Comedy of Errors, F/F, Fluff, mid season-3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 10:26:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11598711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/pseuds/Writerleft
Summary: Korra decides to do her best friend a favor! A well-meaning, baffling, this-will-be-hilarious-in-hindsight, doomed-to-failure favor.





	Table for Four

 

“Hey, Korra!” Opal shouted, jogging across the courtyard toward Suyin's training ground. Korra smiled, stopping to wait, then quirked an eyebrow at Opal's slight puzzlement. “I was looking for Asami. Is she not with you?”

Korra crossed her arms. “No, she's chatting with her company back home over the radio. Why would she be with me?”

Opal chuckled. “She's _always_ with you, Korra.”

“No, she's not... I mean we're friends, we hang out a lot, but—”

Opal was outright laughing now. “Korra, you're practically each others' shadows!”

Korra furrowed her brow, thinking back at all the time they'd spent around each other recently. It... _was_ a lot, come to think of it. Of course, who wouldn't want to spend time around the Avatar? She was super charming and great. The same went for the brilliant, beautiful, funny, gorgeous industrialist as well. It's not like they seemed to seek each other out, they just always seemed to be standing near each other, or sitting by each other, or sharing bemused looks.

“Korra?” Opal asked. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I'm just... maybe I _am_ taking up too much of Asami's time.”

“That's... not what I said at all, Korra.”

“Oh, I know. But now that I think about it, is that fair to her? She's got so much to offer, why should I get to be her only friend?”

“Only friend?” Opal asked skeptically. “Korra, Asami's a big girl. If she wanted to hang out with you less, she would!”

Korra's heart sank. What if Opal was right? What if Asami got sick of her from hanging around her too much!? She needed more balance. Some Asami time. Some other people in her life, even.

“I... get the feeling I said the wrong thing...” Opal said slowly, ending almost with a question.

“No, no,” Korra shook her head, smiling but thinking hard. “It's just, if Asami's hanging around me all the time, helping me with Avatar stuff, how's she ever gonna meet somebody new? She deserves more than that!”

“Well... Bolin is following you around, and that's how he met me—thank you, by the way!”

Korra snapped her fingers. “That's it!”

Opal jumped. “What...”

“I'll talk to you later, Opal! I have an idea!”

Korra ran off, leaving Opal blinking behind her.

 

 

***

 

 

A knock came on the door of Suyin's radio room, and Asami turned to see Korra grinning. It was her 'I'm up to something' grin—one of Asami's favorites. The glint in her eye, the smile on her face... Asami was at once excited and wary. Not all of Korra's brainstorms quite worked out like she expected them to, but they were always well-intentioned. “Hey, Korra.”

“Have any lunch plans?” Korra asked.

To be honest, Suyin's chef was so good, she'd mostly just hovered around the kitchen when she was hungry. But that obviously wasn't the actual question. “Not in particular. You have something in mind?”

“Yeah! A double date!”

Asami blinked. Date? Did she... _date_? Her mouth worked a moment, before she managed to ask, “Oh?”

Korra grinned, leaning against the wall, looking all smug. “Yeah, I caught you making eyes at one of the twins the other day—can't say I blame you, by the way—and managed to score a pair of dates for us two fine ladies. Whaddaya say?”

Asami's heart was spinning. Just as she was starting to feel sure, just _sure_ Korra was flirting back, _this_ happens? “Um... alright. They seem... nice. Very nice. Handsome. Which one...”

“Um... well I don't have any particular preference. I think I was talking to Wei, though?” She scratched the back of her neck. “I... may not be the best at this dating thing?”

No kidding. Still, what reason could she give to get out of it? It was just lunch, after all. She put on her board-room smile—the one she wore when she couldn't afford to broadcast what she really felt. “Okay. When are we meeting them?”

“Um... half an hour? Do you need some time to get ready, or... not that you're not ready now! I mean, you're always a knockout, even during a fight, honestly it makes me kinda mad sometimes, but, you know, I guess for a date...”Korra scratched the back of her neck, looking away, faltering.

That awkward compliment. She was supposed to think that wasn't flirting? Spirits, Asami was confused. “I think I'll be fine.”

“Oh. Okay!” Korra shared a cheerful smile with her, one so earnest and happy and helpful that Asami couldn't help but smile in return.

Then Korra turned to lead her to lunch, and Asami's expression faltered. Everything she'd thought she'd known about what was going on between them, all her calculations...

She needed more data. Immediately.

 

 

***

 

 

“Hey, guys!” Korra waved, approaching the Beifong twins outside the restaurant in Zaofu's entertainment dome. One of them was finger combing his hair in the window, while the other waved back, friendly.

Korra turned a smile toward Asami, nudging her with her elbow. They're a couple of good looking guys, right? Right?

Asami answered with a slight, mysterious smile, before turning to greet them, too. “Wing,” she said, nodding toward the one with messier hair. “Wei,” she greeted the other.

Asami could tell them apart? How? They hadn't interacted that much... Gosh, she was amazing.

“You wanted to know the best restaurant in town,” Wing greeted, arms on his hips as he turned toward it. “Behold Shi Fu's. The only place in Zaofu worth going behind our chef's back over.”

Asami snickered, and Korra grinned. This was already going great. “What kind of food is it?” she asked, sidling up to Wei.

“Classic Fire Nation. I'm talking spi-cy.”

“Sounds great! But then, I'll eat anything. Asami?” Korra turned toward Asami for affirmation. She liked Fire Nation food, right? Korra was sure she did!

“Spicy sounds good,” Asami agreed, while Wei held open the door for all of them.

The place was a lot less fancy than Korra had expected, more like a diner, but she was fine with that. Narook's was a bit divey, after all, but the noodles were great. Asami didn't seem to mind, either. For somebody accustomed to only the best, Asami really was incredibly down to earth, and found something positive about every situation. Surely, Wing or Wei or someone else would notice that!

They took a booth near a window, Korra sliding into one side with Wei, while Wing frowned and sat next to Asami. Was this right? Were they supposed to sit opposite their dates? Korra noticed Asami glancing at her repeatedly—that must be it. How had she already screwed this up?

No, no it was fine. Asami was versatile. If they could handle a hostile gang of bikers and still look amazing afterwards—look even more amazing, in Asami's case, as Korra remembered it—then they could handle a little social awkwardness.

A server came over, but before she could even hand out menus, Wei placed an order for all of them. “Trust me,” he said. “It's the best thing they have, and there's nothing hotter in town. Other than you two ladies, of course.”

Korra snorted—the line wasn't meant seriously. Asami and Wing rolled their eyes.

“So, how's Opal's training going?” Wing asked. A nice, safe opener, and a segue from his twin's dorky come on.

“Oh, she's doing great!” Korra said, glancing at Asami, who was looking at her with interest. Training Opal was about the only time the two of them weren't hanging out—maybe she was curious. “Maybe it's because she's got so many benders in her family already, she already knows some of the basics.”

“Makes sense she'd be learning from our awesome skills,” Wei said, giving Korra a wink. She returned a nervous smirk—way to gloat, buddy.

“Aren't airbending and earthbending completely different, though?” Asami asked. “I've watched you do both, and the footwork alone is nothing alike.”

“Really?” Wing asked. “I mean, I guess that makes sense, they're sorta opposites, right?”

“Yeah, remember how grandma had to beat Aang up until he figured it out, because he just kept running away?”

“Air _is_ the element of freedom,” Korra chuckled weakly, trying not to frown. The loss of all the past Avatars still stung.

Asami reached across the table, touching her hand and offering a supportive smile. “Do you think Opal is a free spirit, maybe?” she asked, gracefully changing the topic. “Or wants to be?”

“I... you know, Asami, you may be on to something? All the airbenders we've found, either they chafed under other peoples' rules, or refused to be constrained by them. Even that punk Ryu...”

Asami laughed, patting Korra's hand.

“You think Opal's chafing, here?” Wing asked, frowning.

Korra shrugged. “Maybe? This city is beautiful, but I feel like it's a big wide world out there. Your mom got to go explore it before settling down. Maybe something like that would be good for her?”

“Plus, she probably should train with all the other airbenders,” Asami added. “We could be out finding more of them, instead of giving Opal private lessons. None of the other airbenders have gotten that.”

It had seemed like a logical course of action when Suyin had suggested it, but trust Asami to be fair-minded. “That's... a good point. But at least Zaofu is a handy place to gather more information about airbenders...” Asami quirked an eyebrow at her, knowing full well that Korra had been doing nothing of the sort. “And both the Earth Queen and that Zaheer joker are out to get me, apparently, so it's a safe place to be.”

“Nowhere safer!” Wei said, leaning forward on his rather impressive arms. She looked at Asami, then twitched her head toward them. Eh? Eh?

Asami simply smiled at her. Beautiful. Mysterious. Had she noticed? Was she interested? Korra couldn't exactly ask... she'd just have to keep trying.

 

 

***

 

 

Small talk had ground to a halt, and with Korra visibly frustrated across from her, Asami tried not to look miserable. Wing seemed nice enough—very similar to Wei, though not as braggadocios and a little more thoughtful—but other than a few polite glances her and Korra's way, he didn't seem any more invested in this date than Asami was.

And Korra... other than the three seconds it took her to inhale her meal, she kept checking on Asami, barely paying attention to either of the boys. Wing didn't care, Wei kept trying to get Korra's attention, and Asami was left just as baffled as when this whole awkward affair began.

“Hey,” Wei said, nudging Korra's side. She looked down at the contact, a little startled, but turned her attention to him. “There's a great cold cake shop down the way. You game for dessert?”

“I mean, always. But... what about you guys?”

Wing shrugged, and honestly, Asami saw this as a wonderful opportunity to politely excuse herself. “Not today. Lunch was wonderful—good pick, Wing—but I couldn't eat another bite.”

Korra's brow furrowed. “Well—”

“I bet I could eat more than you,” Wei added.

Korra's eyes narrowed. “That challenge cannot go unanswered. You're on! Besides, that'll give you two some time to be alone.” She waggled her eyebrows at Asami.

Inside, Asami was screaming.

“You sure you don't want any?” Wei was asking his brother.

“Nah," Korra interrupted. "He'd rather spend his time with the most gorgeous, brilliant, lovable girl in the world.” She looked at Asami, hands on her hips. “I mean, you should see this girl fight! She's taken on benders twice her size—and look at how tall she is!” Korra was staring at this point, shaking her head in appreciative disbelief. “And she didn't even have a hair out of place after doing it!”

Asami fought back a blush. Who, exactly, was Korra trying to convince? Of what?

“How great can she be if she turns down frozen cakes?” Wei grumbled, pulling Korra's elbow.

“Pretty darned great!” Korra protested as she was pulled away.

Asami was half-tempted to follow, just to hear the rest of what Korra had to say. And watch Korra's impossible appetite. But... what if she and Wei suddenly did start having a spark? They hadn't so far, but...

Asami shook herself. If Korra decided she liked Wei, what say did she have in the matter? It's not like they were... more than friends...

“You're not interested in me, are you?” Wing asked.

She winced, giving him an apologetic smile. “Wing, you're quite handsome, and I'm sure you—”

“I'm not interested in you either,” he shrugged.

Wait, what? “You're not... well maybe I was a bit distracted, but that's an awfully definitive thing to say!” Not that she wanted him to be, but still!

Wing chuckled. “Relax, Asami. You've got a lot going for you. You're just quite a bit more female than I tend to find attractive.”

Her mouth hung open a moment.

Then she tilted her head back, and laughed. “Are you telling me that Korra set me up on a date with a guy who was _guaranteed_ not to be interested in me?”

Wing smirked. “She's... not well experienced in the whole dating thing, is she?”

Asami shook her head, still giggling. “No, no she really isn't.”

“You're into her, aren't you?” Wing asked, sipping his drink.

“Buh...” Asami blinked, her laughter stopping, her gob thoroughly smacked.

Wing chuckled. “Don't worry. She won't hear it from me.”

“I... I mean... It's not like I'm in _love_ with her.” Though she could get there. Spirits, could she see herself falling... “I just... she's really fun, you know? I really like being around her.”

Wing patted her shoulder. “That feeling, at least, is clearly mutual.”

“Do... do you think I have a chance?”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “You're the gorgeous, brilliant, and lovable one.”

Asami rolled her eyes. “I meant, do you think she's any more interested in girls than you are.”

Wing shrugged. “I dunno about girls, but she certainly seemed interested in what you were interested in. That's reason to hope.”

Asami took hold of her drink, wishing it was alcohol, but throwing it back nonetheless. “So, I'm not crazy then? Half the time it's like she's flirting with me, but then it's like I'm just one of her friends and now she does this... what's she thinking?”

Wing shrugged. “If you go around trying to figure out what everybody else is thinking all the time, you really _will_ go crazy.”

Asami tilted her head, conceding the point.

“Look... I've been on more than a few dates with guys who weren't sure what they were doing yet. Some weren't even comfortable calling them dates, no matter how naked we got.”

Asami may not have been interested in Wing, but _that_ thought was certainly... arresting. “What did they think was happening, then?”

“Whatever they had to,” Wing shrugged. “Some people just don't know what their own heart is telling them, not until something drastic forces them to face it. She doesn't act the same way toward her other friends as she does toward you, not even Opal, so it's not just a girl thing. Maybe she's interested. Maybe she's still figuring herself out. Just make sure to scare any other boys away, and I doubt any lady is gonna come by that would compete with you. So I guess, stay patient?”

She leaned her elbow on the table, looking at him. “You know, there's a lot more going on with you than you project to the world. And I mean that in the best way possible.”

Wing chuckled. “What, an athletic meathead can't be contemplative?”

Asami grinned. “Somebody taught me once to come clean when you peg somebody wrong. And you know... I'm still not feeling dessert, but maybe some tea?”

The earthbender smiled. “I know a great place. C'mon.”

 

***

 

 

Korra returned to her room, her belly aching from the criminal number of frozen cakes she'd consumed. She'd won the contest with Wei, but at what cost? And even at that, the victory felt somehow... hollow. Even if her stomach certainly wasn't.

Before stepping in to collapse, though, she saw Asami's door across the way was open. She knocked on the frame, looking in. “Hello?”

Asami was sketching something on the table near the window, but she jumped when she heard Korra's voice. She calmed herself, chuckling a little, while Korra could only smile fondly. Maybe her victory over Wei would've felt better, if Asami had been there cheering her on?

“How'd the rest of your date with Wing go?” Korra asked.

“Well... we wound up going out for tea. He's actually quite charming, once he starts talking. Thoughtful, even a little politically minded. Really brought me up to speed on how things have been going out here in the Earth Kingdom.”

“Oh,” Korra said. That sounded great. Just like she planned. Great. “Do you... think you'll want to hang out with him again?”

Asami looked at her, pondering a moment. “Perhaps. We got along well. What... what about you and Wei?”

Korra's already-bloated stomach was suddenly getting mad at her. “I won the eating contest. I kinda need to lie down.”

Asami laughed, nodding to her bed. “Go ahead, you fierce warrior. No dessert will ever dare oppose you now.”

Korra sprawled out with a grateful sigh, her hands and feet all dangling over the edges of the mattress. Hopefully that would settle her belly some. “So... I picked someone good for you, then?”

“Korra...” Asami began, but seemed unsure what she wanted to say.

“Hmm?” She'd done this so Asami would be happy and not get burned out on her, but suddenly considering the prospect of Asami spending a lot of her time with someone else...

“I just... I'm curious what led you to set that double date up. Do you fancy Wei, or...”

Right. She probably could've focused a little on Wei, seen if he was boyfriend material for herself or not. It just... wasn't really what she was focused on. Asami was. And she'd done well, apparently. Shouldn't she be smiling about that? “No. No, I just... I thought you might like it.” Asami was frowning. Why was she frowning? “Was I wrong?”

Asami gave a tiny shrug.” I mean... I appreciate that you wanted to do something nice for me, but... why did you think I needed a matchmaker?”

Now the frown that had been building up finally found it's way to Korra's lips. The idea that Asami Sato, of all people, needed help getting a date sounded so ridiculous that she felt very foolish. “Sorry. I just...” Korra's arms folded across her stomach. “I just... felt like you deserve so much more than just hanging around me all the time. I love being your friend, I love having you around, but I don't want to be greedy, you know? You deserve a chance at finding somebody who makes you happy. Maybe Wing is that guy, I dunno.”

“So... you wanted me to be happy. I get that. But then you thought you had to find me somebody else to make that happen?” She chuckled, shaking her head. “Well, for one, Wing informed me that he's not romantically available.”

“Wait, he's not?” She sat right up.

Asami shook her head. “Not as far as either of us are concerned, no. As for you... Did you consider, maybe, that I'm perfectly happy right now?”

“Right now... like in general, or this moment?”

“Oh, both,” Asami said, looking at the floor. Was that a little blush on her cheeks? What was going on with her? “I really like spending time with you, Korra. I do. And I appreciate the thought, but... when I find a person who I think is a match for me, romantically, when I'm _sure_ it'll work out, you'll be the first to know.”

The frown had mostly vanished, though she wasn't quite back to smiling either. Her belly was still having fits. “Well, okay. But don't wait until you're 100% sure, either. Remember what you said on that racetrack: you can't be afraid to mix it up sometimes!”

Asami's laughter was a song. That got Korra smiling again, just a little. “I'll keep that in mind. There's something to be said about a measured approach too. Taking the time to make sure both parties are ready, you know?”

Asami was looking into her eyes, and Korra's smile widened. Her stomach settled. That girl would make somebody very lucky, some day. “I just want all the best for you, Asami. You're my best friend.”

“Other than Naga?”

Korra gave her a look of faux shock. “Asami, don't make me choose!”

Asami laughed, and sat on the bed beside her. “Well, I'll support whatever choice you make. But just so you know... I really hope it's me.” She winked, and Korra grinned, and they laughed together.

 

**Author's Note:**

> The first of my monthly Patreon prompts! :D
> 
>   [For those interested in my writing process, the first draft of this story can be found on my tumblr by clicking here. I wasn't happy with my original take, though I had a hard time pinning the reason why down. This story took more massaging than most, but is much better for it! ](http://threehoursfromtroy.tumblr.com/post/163370988688/table-for-four-writerleft-avatar-legend-of/)
> 
> [Visit me on my tumblr! Say hi! ](https://threehoursfromtroy.tumblr.com/)


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